


there's nothing to forgive

by heyHEYOhSorry



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: CCPN, F/M, Journalist Iris West
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 21:25:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13866318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyHEYOhSorry/pseuds/heyHEYOhSorry
Summary: It begins with a text at 3:18 am."Care to show me your side of the city?"





	there's nothing to forgive

 

 

She had been hoping that her investigative story on the City Planning Office would be the story to jumpstart her career. Unfortunately, her two sources had abruptly dropped out, and without their testimonies all of Iris’s other information was just circumstantial. Now Iris needed to come up with a brand new story.

The plan to text Leonard Snart didn’t come until late into the night.

Iris sat in an empty CCPN searching for inspiration…or procrastinating. Having refreshed her Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, Iris had moved to scrolling through her contacts as entertainment. and came across Mr. Softee. Iris had forgotten she had Captain Cold’s personal number. Cisco had come up with the name Mr. Softee after Captain Cold had again, assisted the Flash with another case, even if somewhat reluctantly

If it were anyone else, Iris wouldn’t have been keen with the idea of texting at 3am. But even if Iris believed there was a softer side to Leonard Snart, Captain Cold was still leader of the Rogues and what crime boss went to sleep before 4am on the weekends?

(3:18 am) Iris West: Care to show me your side of the city?

It was a risky text. Riskier than the time in college Iris sexted her Macroeconomics TA. She sat at her desk staring at the screen waiting. The worst-case scenario, he’d say no. And that was the more likely scenario. Iris was taking a gamble, but she couldn’t stomach writing an article on a new city traffic light. If she wanted to be a real journalist, to uncover a truth no one else knew. Hanging out with Captain Cold would be a sure way to a new and exciting article

Not even five minutes later she got the text that she needed.

(3:22 am) Mr. Softee: I’m sure there’s some trouble we can get up to

//

 

When he had agreed to take Iris West to see the other side of Central City, to get a first-hand account of how deals were wielded, he didn’t expect that Iris would fit in this well.

It was only their third expedition and Iris West looked at home next to him. Her outfit tonight was better than the first time. She had ditched the tawdry faux shawl and tight jeans for a sleek red number with a deep plunge that managed to show nothing and everything at the same time.

Tonight they were at the Hush Bar & Lounge meeting with Gunpowder Gavin Johansson, the third largest arms dealer in Central City. Even with the flashing lights and the pounding of the bass, Iris doesn’t waste time getting to her pitch.

“I don’t work for the police. I share stories about interesting events and people. And I’m told you’re an interesting man.” she says. There’s no fear or backing down in her voice. Despite the fact that the private table they sit at is surrounded by heavily armed guards.

While Iris waits for Gunpowder Gavin Johansson to respond, she takes the hookah hose, and draws in a deep breath, before exhaling a cloud of peach smoke.

Leonard would admit to no one, that there was an undeniable sexiness to the way Iris rolled the hookah in her mouth.  That seems to be a motivating for Johansson too, who reaches out and hand to shake Iris’s while declaring, “Okay little lady, what would you like to know?”

Len enjoys watching Iris in action. She manages to keep Johansson engaged with the questions she asked. Nor does she shy away from tougher questions like the ones about his childhood, but Iris approaches in such a way, that makes it clear that she isn’t there to judge or pity him.

 

“She’s quite a woman.” Gavin says to Leonard once the interview is over. Iris is a few feet away talking to one of Johansson’s men about another project she’s working on. Leonard doesn’t miss the way Gavin’s eyes trek down Iris’s body, and reflexively his hand reaches for his cold gun.  

“Whoa, whoa.” Gavin backtracks, “No need to get defensive.” He says with his hands raise in a mock of surrender. “You know me, I’m never looking for trouble.”

“I’m just saying, treat her right.” Gavin advises. There’s a moment where Leonard thinks about correcting Gavin. He could explain that Iris is barely friend and certainly not a romantic interest.

Instead he says nothing, but makes note to question why his heart beats faster at the possibility.

//

 

"Come on, Linda. He’s a source. There’s nothing more. " Iris says, leaning back into her desk chair.

A part of her wishes she never told Linda about her meetings with Leonard Snart. Her friend had been growing exponentially more concerned with every article Iris wrote. Now Linda was lecturing her not getting entangled, on top of her typical tirade about safety. 

"Don’t you find it strange that _the_ Captain Cold is willing to spend his nights with you?" Linda catechized, hands on her hips as she looked down at Iris from where she was standing beside her desk.

“It’s a partnership.” Iris waved off Linda’s concerns. Maybe if Linda knew about how Captain Cold has helped the Flash, then she would understand that this was just another arrangement.

Iris watches as Linda slides onto her desk. The ways she always does when there’s juicy office gossip or she has something important to say.

"Iris. I love you. I have to that’s my job as your best friend." Linda cautiously touches her friend's shoulder, "but you’re the best at staying in denial." 

 

Iris wants to roll her eyes because this isn’t another Barry situation.

 

"This is Captain Cold, Linda." Iris refutes. Even though Len has stopped being Captain Cold to Iris months ago. She hopes that by stressing this point Linda will realize how ridiculous she’s being.

But instead, Linda gently rests a hand on Iris's "Well, be careful.  Just because he’s Captain Cold doesn’t mean he’s cold-hearted."

It’s a cliché line, Iris thinks. Made even more preposterous by what Linda is implying. But Iris has to admit, if it were true, that’d make a great subline.

 //

 

He can’t concentrate. Not with the incessant chattering in his ear, or Barry zipping over asking him repeatedly if he knows the plan, and especially not over the loud drumming of his heart as he sees Iris tied to a chair.

Her head is cocked back at an unnatural angle, her arms dangling at her sides, there’s blood on her shirt. It’s hard to tell from his position in the warehouse loft, but it looks as though she’s unconscious. In his heart he hopes that she is. That way when they get her out of here, she’ll wake up and not remember the horrible situation he’s put her in.

As per the plan, Leonard waits until the Flash draws the Costa gang outside of the warehouse before Leonard makes a break towards Iris.

"Len. I, Len?” Iris mumbles. There’s dark sticky blood pooling at the top of her head. He can see a spilt open wound and swelling on top of her forehead. Definitely a wound from a pistol whip.

He’s never been good at consoling, but he tries to gentle as he gathers Iris into his arms. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.” he says as he holds Iris close to his chest.

He’s never realized how small she is before. What had he been thinking getting Iris involved in old mob feuds.

 

He had been intentional in introducing Iris to the Johansson family over the Costas. Although dealing guns, the Johanssons were content with their position as the third largest supplier. They hardly ever resorted to violence as a means to selling product. The Costas, on the other hand, had been trying to become the number one distributor for the past five years. He should have expected they’d retaliate against a journalist humanizing their competitor.

“Snart! Two men-“ Cisco doesn’t even finish the relay before the bullets start flying. Shifting Iris into a fireman’s carry, and he reaches for his cold gun, firing as he makes a break towards the exit.

In the back of his mind he can hear Iris’s telling him all life is sacred. But there’s a fury inside of him that he hasn’t felt before, and when he shoots he’s aiming to kill. The two go down quickly; a clean shot through the sternum, another through the neck.

 

“Snart, that’s not how we-!”

“This not the time, Cisco.” He couldn’t care for a lecture. Not when he had clearly seen the blood stains on the cuffs of their shirts.

 

The sound of the alarm ringing means there are more men on the way. As much as Snart wants to massacre the Costas, he knows Iris needs medical attention.

The doctor’s ready in the van outside. Sliding open the door, the moment she sees Leonard round the corner. She and Cisco take Iris from him, laying her on a gurney. “Grab the gauze.”

“Is she going to be alright, Caitlin.” Cisco questions

Caitlin doesn’t answer, just worries her bottom lip, as she lifts Iris shirt. There are already black and blue bruises along her torso.

“You need to drive us to STAR Labs. Tell Barry to meet us there.” Caitlin orders. Caitlin takes Iris heart rate, as Cisco slides back into the driver’s seat.

Time seems to slow as Snart watches Caitlin try to stabilize Iris, taking her stats, preparing an IV, it’s clear that she doesn’t want to waste any time.

_What has he done?_

Snart gets one finally look at Iris labored breathing, and then the door slides shut and the van speeds off.

 

//

 

Iris feels more stupid than the time she threw up on Ben Markowitz coming back from the History Museum in 7th grade.

The surprised look on Len’s face as he opened the door is just another sign that Iris is going about this all wrong.

“You haven’t answered my calls.” she states. And Iris hopes that’s a good enough explanation for hunting down Gunpowder Gavin to find out where Snart lives.

“Can I come in?”  she asks.

Leonard makes just enough room for her to slide past him into his apartment, a warehouse converted to a loft.

The exposed brick ties in nicely with the modern furniture and large floor to ceiling window. Iris is too far away to know for certain, but there’s a painting on the wall looks eerily like the missing _Le Pigeion aux petis pois_ by Picasso.

Leonard leans against the sleek black kitchen island watching her. Iris wonders if he’s going to say anything, or if he’s going to ignore her in person, like he’s done through text the past three weeks since the incident with the Costas.

She could have listened to Barry, or her Father, or everyone else who told her to let him be, but she couldn’t accept this as the end.

“Are you—how are you feeling?” It’s not a question Iris was expecting. “Your ribs” he elaborates, with a jerk of his head.

Iris stutters unable to hide her confusion. “I-I’m fine.”         

 

Her encounter with Johnny Costa’s men had left Iris with a splintered rib, eleven stitches, and a concussion. It instigated an hour-long lecture from her father, an email from Laurel Lance about private self-defense lessons, and a custom taser gun gifted by Cisco.  But it had also been the final piece to her investigation, and had allowed her to write her first front page article at CCPN, and there was talk that CCPN might be nominated for the Worth Bingham Award. And so all Iris wanted was to recognize the man who had flipped Central City upside to find her location, to thank the man who had saved her life.

“I’ve been trying to thank y—“

“You don’t need to do that.” Len cuts her off.

 

The continued antipathy from Leonard Snart was going to cause Iris to lose it.

It wasn’t as though she had tried get him involved. She hadn’t even mentioned Snart in her article about the City Planning Office’s collusion with the Costa gang to drive down property costs. But the police had samples of the ice used at the crime scene, and other reporters had quickly spun the story “Captain Cold to the Rescue”

“Jesus Len!” Iris exasperated, “I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your reputation. I didn’t think that you’d regret saving my life.”

 

Iris had promised herself that she was _not_ going to cry. If Leonard didn’t want to spend time with her anymore she had to be okay with that. It wasn’t Leonard’s fault that Iris had started to have feelings for him.

“You don’t” Len’s words come out slower than his usual drawl, “You don’t need to pretend as though I’m not the cause.”

“What?” Now, Iris was thoroughly confused.

 

“If I hadn’t introduced you to Johansson. The Costas wouldn’t have gone after you.” Leonard professed, head down, avoiding her eyes.

The pain in his voice, causes Iris to really take in his appearance. Now she can see that the antagonism had never been directed at her, and her heart breaks at the thought that Len had been living this past weeks thinking he had hurt her.

“This wasn’t about the Johansson interview.” Iris says, walking towards Len. “This was for another story I was investigating. This wasn’t your fault.” Iris continues.

He’s still not looking at her, and she needs Len to understand this.

“Len, It’s not your fault.” Iris steps closer, until she can gently cradle his face in her hands.

She loves the bristle of his salt-n-pepper scruff under her palms. She loves the crinkles by his eyes. And when she’s completely honest with herself, she loves every flaw and imperfection of Leonard Snart.

//

 

Leonard Snart didn’t imagine that he’d ever be in this situation with Iris West. Well, he had imagined it. Not often. His father use to warn him about the dangers of day dreaming on things that would never come true. And yet, this one had.

Iris stood naked by the window, a cup of coffee in her hand as she stared out over Central City. It isn’t even an expensive view, but Iris seems captivated by it, watching the sun as it slowly began to rise.

“Thinking about jumping?” He drawls. Her long black hair swishes as Iris slowly turned her head a smirk on her face, that Leonard’s pretty sure she picked up from him.

“Would you catch me?” she asks, crossing the studio to join him back in bed.

Iris curls up against the headboard, looking down at him as she finishes her cup of coffee. There’s a twinkle in her eye, that says she already knows the answer.

“Certainly.” He’s not sure how, but for Iris West he would.

**Author's Note:**

> Iris West and Leonard Snart are an underrated pairing, and I'm here to make people realize


End file.
